Hi Leveller. Sorry about the delay! Just signed up for this for the 4th consecutive year. No medical certificate required. Great course with brilliant support. Gels are provided but not sure which ones as I take my own.

Are many others entered? Is it too early to start obsessing?! I'm really looking forward to it. Have read many good things about the race on here, and Valencia is a great city to visit (have friends there, so know it a little bit). It'll be my second marathon – did Edinburgh last year, which was going to be the only one I entered in my life, ever, then somehow I found myself with the bug and here we are again... :)

I'm in, there's a few from the sub 3 thread going over too. I've done Barca 3 times which is my fave but like others I've heard very nice things about this one too. Did the York Marathon 10 days ago as a training run so will squeeze one more long run in when my legs have fully recovered. Really looking forward to it.

Great to hear from others who are going! BB, sorry to hear about the disaster in Chicago, whatever that entailed - hope you are feeling positive for Valencia instead. I'm guessing you'll be in good form if you were training for Chicago. Wardi, hope you enjoyed York - I've heard lots of good things about that event too.

Yes, last couple of long runs coming up for me. Missed my usual Sunday slot because of a busy weekend, so felt proud of myself for fitting in my scheduled 20 miles yesterday morning BEFORE work instead - it's a rare occurrence for me to get up that early! I'm in two minds about my training - on the positive side, it's been relatively consistent (for me) with a better base of long-ish runs than I had for my previous and only other marathon - plus no injuries, touch wood. The negative is that I feel slower than I wanted! Was originally hoping for sub-4h (previous time was 4:11), but that seems very unlikely now. Oh well. Really looking forward to it regardless!

Wonder what the temperature will be like over there - at the moment it still seems to be mid to high 20s. Expected it to have cooled down a bit more by now...

Hi. Glad to see this thread coming back to life; booked my place yesterday. Yes, I know that it is late but wanted to see how I recovered from Bournemouth last week. All seems to be going well, but with Thames Meander in Aug., New Forest in Sept. and Bournemouth in Oct. (also Seville in Feb. and Vienna in April) I'm half recovering and half preparing! Not really sure what to do for the best. But I would hope to fit in a couple of 20' runs in the next couple of weeks and then taper. (My times this year have ranged from 4:06 to 4:24 and I've indicated a target time of 4:10 for Valencia.) Just booked a hotel, now I need a flight!Hope all is going well with the training, and that you are keeping clear of injuries.

Hi all, another from the sub3 thread, hoping to run errmm sub3. Have heard good things about the marathon and really looking forward for my first time visit to the city. Like Wardi, recovering from a marathon around 9-10 days ago, so training is very much based on feel at the moment and hopefully fit in a 20 mile run in 2 Sundays time - although will be on holiday in Gran Canaria so a good opportunity to run in the sun.

Had my first two hard runs this week post Chicago so was always a bit anxious to see how the legs were. Pleased to say that the track session on Tuesday was good and the 10 miles at MP last night felt very comfortable (ended up running about 6/7 secs quicker than MP)!

I'll get a long run in this weekend (24miles with last 7 at MP) which will be a real tester. If this feels ok then I'll be confident!

Another hard week next week then a two week taper....

Last 'long' long runs this weekend for the three week taper'ers??

Booked the hotel this week too... Staying at the 'Rooms Ciencias'. not cheap for what looks pretty basic accommodation but location is spot on, so I hope it'll be worth it!

Last 'long' long run for me today, I think - a little over 21 miles. Really wasn't feeling it at first and had to play some mind games to continue rather than just go home after a few miles, but finally got into it after the first hour or so! Had a hectic work week last week with long days and travelling, which meant that I didn't do as much running as I should have (and am still tired), but definitely feel better for fitting in the run today. I'm still slower than I'd like, but nothing to be done now. Feel fairly confident about getting round in one piece at least, barring a complete disaster, and am hoping there may be a chance of beating my previous 4:11 marathon time, even if only by a whisker.

I don't have much of a schedule for the taper yet - going to work out a plan tomorrow. I have a hilly-ish 8.5-mile race this weekend, but that's the only thing set in stone. Quite tricky to know what's best to do!

Big Bertie, sounds as if things are going really well for you. Fingers crossed for 2.5 weeks' time - cannot actually believe it's so close now! I am also staying near to the start line - am sure it's worth it to have one less hassle to worry about pre race. Looking forward to the expo, which is now being advertised on their Facebook page...

Congrats on getting that one done Gipfel. I managed 16m as per my 'between marathons' schedule on Monday and my legs were protesting yesterday. Served to remind me that it takes a while to completely get over a marathon (York was 3 weeks ago). This will be my 2nd marathon as a V60 so I should know better re. recovery! BTW Gipfel York is a very good marathon, excellent organisation and not too crowded. Only about 10 miles from my door so a cheap day out for me!

I'm staying in a hotel very near the Sciences building too, I agree this removes a major stress element. I find VLM a bit of a faff in this respect. We are flying from Leeds to Alicante then getting the train to Valencia on the Friday so fingers crossed it all comes together.

All booked now but hotel is a little way from the start. Seems like transport will be OK on the day. Got out in the morning fog today (not too bad) for my 2nd 20' run. Almost the same as last week's but feeling more comfortable, and HR was good. Didn't include any MP miles this morning, but included 4 in my 11' run two days ago. I'm hoping that the next two weeks of serious taper will make them feel easier on the day! Now to stay clear of bugs and injuries. (I'm an old, grey haired guy, and expect to be wearing a purple SW Vets AC vest. Say 'Hi!' if you spot me.) Safe tapering everyone!

It’ll be my second Valencia after last year (3:12). Have been following a Hansons plan this time round and hope to get down to about 3:07 / 3:08.

Really enjoyed the race last year. The crowd support was tremendous for most of the way; groups of people dressed up as paella chefs, quite a few brass bands and local sports clubs turning out in full kit to cheer you on etc. Lots of fun. There were a few areas where there weren’t quite as many spectators and noise but I quite like the contrast. The course doubles back in a few places so you may get to see the East African runners flying past, which I found pretty inspirational.

if you’re going to the Expo on Saturday, Spanish lunchtime 14:00 - 16:00 is a good time to go as the queues and volume of people is much lighter.

Thanks for the tip on the Expo LT as am now arriving on Saturday morning and not Friday owing to 'work' grrr. I was also looking forward to a leisurely walk to the marathon start but my well-located hotel cancelled last week on me, so now looks like the Travelodge at the airport (nice!). Hope to make the starting line at this rate. Have heard really good things about the race. Anyone know if they hand out gels?

Yep, I heard the same about Enervit gels. Tried to get hold of some to try out, but they're hard to buy in the UK so I gave up! Travel/hotel faff definitely sounds like a pain (our flights are with Ryanair so I've been half expecting cancellations, but all ok so far, fingers crossed). The only thing I can say with regard to staying at the airport is that the Metro from the airport into Valencia has been pretty quick/easy when I've done the journey (have stayed close-ish to the race start area before, as our friends live in that area, and I think the green line - 5? - is direct from the airport to the nearest station).

Good to hear from someone who's done the race before - and thanks for the tip about the expo! Will look out for everyone's club vests. I may be in my green Lostock AC vest, but may just wear something different. Sadly my partner has had to pull out - he's been diagnosed with a hernia and referred for surgery (his third one!), so is unsurprisingly a bit down at the moment. He has always been in two minds about the marathon, though - he was finding the long runs/increase in mileage quite a chore, and had considered pulling out before - it's definitely made the decision for him. But it's difficult - I know I'd be gutted!

Wardi, thanks for the info about York Marathon. It may have to go on the list! It's a nice part of the world round there.

The tec shirt was unveiled last week. Sleeves for men, vest for women. There’s a hidden design (the course map) which appears when you sweat! Haven’t made up my mind as to whether I like it or not but I guess it’s original.

Oh no, BB :( I'm sorry to hear that. Tonsillitis is horrible, so I can quite believe you're not in marathon condition afterwards, but real disappointment at this late stage. Hope you are fully recovered soon and can look forward to your next event.

LT, I am also in two minds about the shirt - the whole sweat thing seems a bit 80s (reminds me of when I really wanted a Global Hypercolour T-shirt back in the day)! Think the map design actually looks really nice in itself, so I wish they'd just printed it on normally. Very pleased about the vest option for women, though - I wear vests a lot for running and it's rare that you get an event one.

Agree about the tec shirt Gipfel. I think it was a vest for the women last year too. Apparently, quite a few guys were peeved they only had the t-shirt option. Was around in the 80s but don’t remember Global Hypercolour t-shirts!

BB - commiserations.

The elite field was released today and, for those who follow the sport, there’s some notable names in the men’s race. Three or four sub 2:05 guys.

Took my first proper look at the weather for next Sunday earlier. 11 to 21 degrees predicted at the moment. Could be worse, could be better I guess.

Race haircut done, weather checked - looks a bit fresh early on and pretty decent overall. Just got to get there and run it now. Hope everyone is surviving the taper well, and looking forward to some forbidden 'cake' tomorrow.

Morning all. Arrived in Valencia yesterday - had an enjoyable wander round the expo late afternoon, followed by a beer at the outside cafe there, watching the sunset. Didn't feel like November at all, and really is pretty warm in the afternoon sun! Think though as LT says, it will be cooler first thing at least. Seems to be cold(ish) in mornings and evenings.

The location will definitely make for an impressive start/finish - really liked the look of it all. Seems very well organised too. Oh, and the T shirts looks better in real life than the photos. It's actually pale grey, not white as I'd thought!

Best of luck to everyone - hope you enjoy the experience and have a good race tomorrow. Think it's going to be fun!

3:06:12 for me. Just over 6 minutes better than last year and a decent negative split. Felt strong all the way to the finish. Thought the support from the spectators was great, brought a big smile to my face on more than one occasion. Really like the finish over the water too. Didn’t find the weather a problem, just got slightly warm towards the end but there was a decent amount of shade on the course.

Definitely agree that the tech shirt is better in real life and quite comfortable too.

Had a fantastic day yesterday - what a brilliant event. I also found the support great - never a dull moment on the course. And so many people reading your name/nationality from your number and shouting encouragement to you personally, which was really nice. After what felt like a perfect first half, I did start to struggle with my pace and slow down (final time was 4:17 something, few mins slower than I'd have liked), but never stopped enjoying it. As for the finish over that water - agree, amazing! I think it's the nicest finish I've ever had in an event.

I had all but decided not to do another marathon for a couple of years and concentrate on shorter runs instead - but am VERY tempted to do this one next year! Was only my second marathon so don't have much to compare it to, but it really did beat Edinburgh in so many ways - entry price, free stuff, course, support, general organisation...and now I have a time to beat...

Good to read some reports, and see some great results. Certainly is a marathon to remember, for many reasons. They are very proud of their event, and justifiably so.My day went almost to plan but needed a couple of pit-stops even though I used my normal drinking strategy. Came in at 4:12; just two minutes outside my submitted time.Feeling good at the finish, so could have possibly gone off a touch quicker. Results have me as 9th out of the 30 old boys. Any one tempted to go back next year?